


A new beginning

by SaltwaterAndShips



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Haven't really decided yet, Maybe - Freeform, No Smut, Not obscene amounts, Passionate about things, Reader Insert, and it will be mentioned, because we all know that's what we're on this site for, but reader is very, but that's the reason you wish your brother away, fluffy angst party, just so you know, maybe a kiss or two though ;), maybe some flashbacks as well, not explicit, there's a cat!, there's also a bit of swearing, tw for child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:30:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6569935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltwaterAndShips/pseuds/SaltwaterAndShips
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader wishes away their baby brother to protect them from their abusive parents. Now, a year later, the reader can finally take them back home safely, but there are some complications...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was all edited by me, so I apologize for any mistakes. Hope you like it!

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave" he purred, leaning lightly against a worn down wall as he held out the crystal.  
"I'm not sure that's how it works," you said sarcastically. "Slavery generally entails having power over said slave, not the other way around." You crossed your arms, watching him as he eyed you curiously, wondering what to make of you. "Now I made it all the way here, and fell down whatever freak of gravity broke the castle and got us down here, whatever the bloody hell that was, and I won't even start on the crap you pulled in the labyrinth, so can I at least see him?"  Usually the wishers weren't so persistent(or sarcastic), but then again, only one other had made it this far and she had been most unusual indeed.  
"I want my brother back. Now." You demanded.  
"If you wanted the child, you shouldn't have wished him away. You know that. No one wishes someone away out of love" Damn that smirk. He knew exactly how to get at you, Like he knew shit about what life at home had been like. You HAD wished him away out of love, to protect him, and now that you had a place of your own you could take care of him and give him a chance at the childhood that had been ripped from them. Assuming you could reason with this asshole.  
 "Come to think of it," he mused. "He is quite old to be wished away. And you took so long to come back for him, why, its been a year! Usually they're just babes, but this one is what, 3 years now? What did he do, ask for too much of your time?" He was mocking you and you knew it. Trying to make you feel selfish and insecure. "Shut up" you muttered, angry.   
"What was that, love?" He straightened and slunk towards you, crystals spinning in his hand.  
"I said shut up" you backed away as he kept coming closer. You didn't like having him any closer to you than necessary.   
"Feisty, aren't you?"  _Just like Sarah._ for whatever reason, you interested him greatly. Why would you come back after a full year? You hadn't even attempted to try and get him back once the clock had started your thirteen hours. You hadn't seemed to care at all, actually, if he was being honest, you had seemed almost relieved. Most had the decency to at least appear like they cared, but not you apparently. Despite all this he was curious and he chided himself for losing his meticulously kept composure over some mere mortal, but curious as he was he wondered how you would react if he gave you a choice…  
"I'll give you a deal. The laws that bind me state that I cannot give the babe back once they are in my possession if the wisher does not get them back within the specified 13 hours," he explained, eyes glinting.  
You were curious now. If he couldn't give you back your brother (if you could actually trust a word of what he said, and so far that didn't seem likely) then what was his proposal? "That is unavoidable. But if you were to live down here, then you would be allowed to spend as much time with him as you desire."  
 Horror ran across your face as you realized what he was suggesting. Forever in the underground? Stuck with this glittery asshole? But if it meant you got to see your brother again... Was it really worth it? You knew immediately that the answer would be yes. In reality, he wasn’t even supposed to exist at all. He was a fairytale villain, who stole children once he tricked you into saying the words. A character out of a book. You wondered if you were hallucinating, if you had been hit over the head too hard or something. Either way, dreaming or not you had to deal with it, no matter how crazy it was.   And then it occurred to you that he might not even be telling the truth. He might just be fancying a new slave. He didn't seem to be lying though, and was that pity you saw in his eyes? No, it couldn't have been. This was the guy who stole children for a living. Someone like that can't be capable of many emotions, least of all pity. Who the hell steals children anyway?

You really didn't want to leave the apartment or the job at the bookstore that you had aboveground either. To let go of that would be to lose everything you had worked and fought for. It was the only sense of security that you had had for a while, and you were finally rebuilding yourself after years of abuse and trauma. It was really a miracle that you had gotten your job and were even able to afford an apartment that wasn't full of drug lords. Many people your age had gone to colleges and universities and were still struggling to find work, and yet your place was pretty okay for what it was. You couldn't afford to lose that. But if what he said was true, and he couldn't give back your brother, maybe he could come aboveground...  
  
Jareth waited patiently as he watched the indecision play out across your beautiful features. He was not known for his patience or understanding, but for some reason he sensed the need for you to collect you ideas. What was it with you? This wasn't like his personality at all, and he chided himself for growing soft over a mere girl he had met only once a year ago. Yet, he felt almost protective of you and your brother as well. It was obvious that at some point someone had done something to the both of you. He remembered when he had accidentally yelled at your brother in the beginning and he had gone completely white and stayed silent the rest of the day, refusing to look him in the eye. Children, from what he knew were supposed to be loud and challenging, not silent and fearful. There had been another time also, where he had been building with a few bricks and a couple goblins in the throne room. Jareth had been watching from his throne when he decided to sit next to him on the floor and watch. When he looked up Jareth had put up his hand to give him a high-five and was shocked when he had flinched like he expected to be hit. At first he suspected it was because of you, after all you were the one to wish him away, but you seemed just as weary.  
The effect on you was just as evident in the way that you shied away from any physical contact, and how you held yourself in such a way that made you look smaller, less of a target. Your arms gripped around you like you weren't quite sure what to do with them, and you were staring at him like you expected him to attack you. He knew for a fact that in the labyrinth you had jumped at every single noise and always made sure that there were two ways out of anywhere you went. It was hardly noticeable at all when you were being sarcastic, but when you weren't concentrating on it you seemed to shrink back in on yourself.  
"I-I can't stay down here," he was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of your voice. "B-but maybe you could stay aboveground with us? If you absolutely have to keep my brother, that is." You looked extremely unsure of yourself, and yet you were brave enough to offer an alternative to his proposal. He sensed that this would provide more comfort for both you and the boy, as he knew now you would do whatever it took to stay with him. Few he had met had such fire, and he found it almost refreshing. This arrangement would also grant him a chance to see more into the life of the girl who provided such interest in his otherwise goblin-filled existence.

"I think that could be an agreeable compromise. Of course I would occasionally need to visit the kingdom to keep the goblins in check, but this could work, if you are so willing, until more permanent arrangements can be made."  
You nodded, relieved. ‘more permanent arrangements’ sounded a little ominous, but you would deal with that if, and when, it came up. You had expected to have to bargain and needle your way into being able to stay aboveground, but there had been absolutely no problem whatsoever, which admittedly made you a little weary of what he might be planning. You didn't want to share a small apartment with any guy, and he especially made you nervous, but what choice did you have?  
"Alright." You said. You would learn to deal for the sake of your brother. He deserved at least that much from you.  
"Now I know you must be eager to see your brother after such a long time, so how about a reunion dinner to celebrate?" He held out his hand and gingerly you took it, before he used what you assumed to be magic to transport you to the ledge where you had fallen. What a nice trick that had been, falling through the floor. Jerk... 


	2. Chapter 2

Following him through the twisting halls of the castle, the flagstones echoed under your ratty sneakers, abused from years of wear. They almost seemed to match the beige sandstone that everything in this place appeared to made of. You briefly wondered how the labyrinth had come to existence in the first place, Surely moving so much stone would take a lot of effort and creatures, or magic. You wondered how Jareth had gone about creating it, and why he had done so in the first place. But maybe it was it’s own creature in a way, and Jareth and the goblins had come from it, not it from they. Nothing was quite certain in this place, as you knew very well.

   Your anticipation built as you would finally be able to see your brother again. It had been years, would he still remember you? Would he resent you for abandoning him with a complete stranger? Had Jareth take good care of him? Anything had to be better than what he’d endured at home, but still. You didn’t like the idea of taking him out of one shitty situation and putting him back into one that was only slightly better.

As you rounded a corner you heard the unmistakeable laugh of a child, and you heart rate spiked. Could it be your brother? You couldn’t remember the last time you had heard him laugh, if you ever had. There was never laughter in your house, only screaming and anxiety-choked silences. The silence was objectively the worst of the two. At least when they yelled you knew whom you were dealing with.

At last you came to a final set of double doors with a simple but elegant swirling pattern. Jareth pushed them open, revealing an open room with a throne that looked like it had grown out of birch, a pit in the centre in front of the throne and the whole thing teeming with goblins. They were crowding around a small child who was stacking wooden blocks on the floor.

“I-is he my…” your hands went of to your mouth and you gasped, causing Jareth to look at you in surprise. Tears sprung to your eyes and you shoved aside the goblins ( who were surprised and quit frankly annoyed) to scoop up your brother. You crushed him to your chest and sobbed as he let out a disgruntled noise. He was busy, he had no time for this nonsense when there was a tower to be built. It also didn’t make sense why someone _would_ be hugging him whilst crying. Jareth was very strictly non-physical, and he certainly never cried. At least, not in front of him, anyways. So who was this new person? They certainly didn’t dress like Jareth or one of the goblins so they weren’t one of the people that came to talk about ‘business’ with Jareth. They dressed funny, in capes and they sometimes had pointy ears or eyes like the cat he had once seen on the street back at his old house. They sometimes came by, and they would always look at him and ask Jareth why this child wasn’t already a goblin. He mostly shrugged them off and said he had taken a shining to the boy. Your brother didn’t pay them much attention. Adults were boring anyway.

He wriggled out of your arms and crawled a few feet away before turning back around to face you. Kneeled on the floor with your head in your hands and covering your mouth, your eyes were squeezed shut and tears leaked down the sides of your face. He thought he recognized you, but you looked different. His sister had pale skin and deep shadows under her eyes. She was a lot thinner too. The person in front of him glowed with health in comparison. His sister had also promised to come back for him as soon as possible. According to him it had been ages and he decided you weren’t coming back at all. Jareth had told him as much, but he had trusted you. It was worth a try though, at last in his mind.

“(y/n)?”

“Yes,” you said, hiccupping and looking up through tear-stained eyes. “ yes it’s me, I know I promised, and I’m so sorry I didn’t have a choice and I loved you so much, you were so loved, I loved you and I’m-“ your words were running together in your desperation to explain and the reality of the situation hit you. You were finally together again, and he was alive and you were alive and he even remembered you and he was safe.

“I love you, and I’m so sorry.” You needed to tell him. You were sorry you had abandon him for so long, but you were young and scared and some part of you knew you might not have gotten to see him again. You hadn’t even expected it to work, you had just been reading him The Labyrinth when you could be sure your parents couldn’t hear you so that he could have something else to dream about besides how shit your lives were. Wishing him away had only been part of trying to make it seem a bit more real for him, it wasn’t supposed to work, but a small, childish part of you had hoped it would. But then it did, and it was the biggest victory of your life. Afterwards when your parents figured out he was missing, you were the immediate suspect. The abuse had increased tenfold, and you hadn’t even been able to go outside anymore. They were afraid that you had told someone and that was how you had let him escape. A baby couldn’t get very far on their own, and you weren’t allowed off their property so you must have had outside help, they reasoned. You were too afraid of them to ever try leaving, and they knew it. After a while, the fear that the police were going to intervene slowly abated and they let up a little. But not too much. Couldn’t have you getting the idea that you could leave too. The fact that your brother hadn’t had to witness it was your only solace. You were sorry that you had to let him go with only so much as a promise of _someday_ , but you didn’t regret getting him as far away from there as possible.

He got up and toddled over to you, bending and wrapping his chubby arms around you neck. You arms snaked around his torso and you buried your face in his hair. “I love you too, (y/n).” He whispered in your ear. You shook and he hugged you, and it was as if the entire world had stopped to let you two embrace and make up for the years you had been apart.

 

Jareth stayed in the doorway, watching you interact. He wasn’t surprised the boy still remembered you. In the beginning you were all he could talk about. “My big sister,” he has said, puffing out his chest in juvenile pride. “ She always keeps a promise.” He said all the things they usually do in the beginning. It was hard for many of them to accept that they weren’t coming back and that they were unwanted. He gave everyone the chance to run the labyrinth and get back their child, but few took the chance, and for most the thirteen hours hadn’t even been necessary as they usually decided it was too much effort to be worth it. That’s why he considered his to be a kingdom of the saved, not kidnapped. He gave ample chance for them to be taken back if it really was an accident that they got wished away, and he gave them a home and food and jobs when they were old enough if it wasn’t. The hard part was watching them come to terms with being unwanted, or not deemed worth the effort. That’s why he supposed most of the wished-away chose to become goblins. It’s becomes harder to remember things that way, and he couldn’t find it in himself to really blame them. Not every goblin in the castle was once a child, but a great many of them were.

He coughed lightly to get your attention. You were slightly embarrassed of how much of a mess you must have looked to him. He was royalty and you were sitting on the floor in front of him crying. Nice. Oh well. You had just gotten to see your brother again for the first time in a year. He could damn well deal with it.

“I believe dinner is almost ready, if you should wish to move this to the dining hall and we can discuss a few details.” He wouldn’t admit it, but he felt like he was intruding on something he shouldn’t. He’d never been good with emotions, especially those of others. What do you do when there’s a girl sitting on you floor crying? Usually he wouldn’t have cared in the least bit, he had seen hundreds of people brought to tears in the labyrinth. Why were you any different?

You nodded and stood up, balancing your brother on your hip. Jareth certainly looked uncomfortable just standing in the doorway as you walked over to follow him. Maybe he just looked like that all the time. How would you know? A simple person like you surely wasn’t enough to be worth him thinking about, least of all being uncomfortable around, right? No, you must be completely insignificant in his mind.

You walked out the doors and waited until he had passed to follow him into the hall. “It’s just down this way.” He said, leading you down the hall and set of stairs. You made a few turns before finally making it to another set of carved doors. _Everything is so big and fancy around this place_ , you mused. _Maybe he’s compensating for something…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not sure how I feel about this chapter, it just seems to be repetitive or something? I don't know, maybe I'm being too critical. Who knows. Anyway, sorry this is so, so late. I have no excuses honestly. I'm going to camp for six weeks in about five days so it definitely won't be updated in that time. Not really sure when it will be, but I'll aim for less than three months after. I know this is really short, but leave your thoughts or suggestions and I'll definitely consider them. Happy reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been forever, not long at allllllll... Seriously though, sorry. Hope you like the chapter. Comment what you liked (or didn't) and you'll help brighten the day of an angsty fic writer.

The doors opened to reveal a cavernous room covered in tapestries that depicted an array of mythological and real animals. The long table in the center was set for at least twenty people, though it appeared as if it was just Jareth who lived here. Wooden dishes were placed on the purple embroidered tablecloth and glass flutes stood to the right side of every place. You supposed they wouldn’t have normal ceramic dishes like you were used to, you had found out from Hoggle that they didn’t even have plastic, and the only reason he even knew what that was, was because of one of the runners who had come through, supposedly the only one had ever beaten the Labyrinth. Besides you now, of course.

You put your brother down and let him pick a seat at the end of the table. You sat next to him and Jareth sat at the head of the table. He waved his hand and metal jugs full of water and a golden liquid appeared on the table. It kind of reminded you of a book you had once read about a school for witches and wizards. It shouldn’t have been real, and yet it was. He could summon things out of thin air and he kidnapped children while running a kingdom of goblins that also shouldn’t exist. You didn’t know what to think about all of this. Nothing could really prepare one for what you were hoping was the worst acid trip of your life. Not that you had ever done acid, but that was the only logical way you could explain everything. But you couldn’t have been tripping on drugs for a whole year and hallucinating that your brother was kidnapped. Maybe it was all a dream, but you weren’t waking up and you had tried many, many times. So that was out. You decided to just roll with the crazy until you figured out how to escape it.

You were just trying to think of some small talk to pass the time when goblins wearing small aprons carried covered dishes flowed into the room to place them on the table before you. It was probably best, as you were horrible at small talk. Another side affect of spending the majority of your life having conversations only in your head where it was safe. The goblins bowed to Jareth before receding back through the door and leaving you in silence again. Your brother immediately began to reach for a bread roll form one of the baskets, and before you could scold him you stopped yourself. Surely Jareth would have said something if he was out of line, he had been here long enough. You waited until Jareth started to fill his plate before you followed suit, unsure of what was custom here. As you filled your plate you admired to amount of color and variety in the food. The was a salad filled with what looked like tomato and cucumber, as well as a purple fruit that you couldn’t name. Probably native to this place only. There was beef tenderloin dripping with juices and many sides such as breads and braised vegetables.   You had never seen so much food in your life. Even when you finally escaped you had still been living off two minimum wage jobs that just barely made ends meet. Beef wasn’t something you could even afford to dream about. Once you had filled your plate you began eating, and listened as your brother filled you in on everything he had done that he could remember since you had left him, including every bug that existed here. It mostly consisted of causing shenanigans with the goblins. Apparently they really liked hide and seek. You were happy that he had adjusted and made friends, though you were sad you had missed so much. It was a relief that Jareth had seemed to go above and beyond what he had to do. Your brother was well fed and clothed, and had friends and played. Sure, his friends shouldn’t actually exist and quite possibly could be a figment of your imagination, but it was more than he had ever had. Jareth just sat back and listened, smiling whenever he said something cute or funny. All too soon your plates were empty and Jareth suggested your brother might go down to the kitchens and see if the goblins had made any sweets. He nodded his head and gave a mock bow before laughing and running off. Jareth laughed and watched his head disappear out the door.

“He’s quite the joker, you know,” he said, looking at you.

   “ I’m beginning to see that,” you said, regret in your voice. “It’s amazing how much he’s changed from… before.” Jareth heard the pause in your voice but decided against drawing attention to it. He could only guess what he had been like before. Probably the way you were now. It had taken a lot of patience on his end to get him to speak to him and look him in the eyes, jokes had been only a recent development.

“So about, um, about going back home?” You phrased it like a question, hoping he would propose something.

“Yes, I think it would be beneficial to bring your brother aboveground,” He started. “Of course by our laws I would have to reside at least part time wherever he does.” He continued, seeing how you would take this information.

“Right. This is like a really weird custody battle, um…” You forced out a tense sounding laugh. “If it’s the only way, how soon can we get back? We can set you up somewhere in my, uh, I don’t really have an extra bedroom but we can figure something out.” You finished, lamely. Your apartment was small and only had one bedroom. Anything more was too expensive to get in an okay neighbourhood.

“We can leave as soon as you’d like.” He said. “It’s been a long couple of hours for you though, perhaps you could stay the night and we will go in the morning?”

That sound agreeable to you, so after you settled the last few details you headed down to the kitchens under Jareth’s direction to find your brother and get yourself settled somewhere.

The kitchens were warm and smelled of chocolate and some sort of pastry. The ovens bathed the cavernous room with a dull orange glow from the fires within them. This was a room you could see being very comfortable, filled with talking and laughter and good food. Somewhere to be when it was cold and one was in need of some company or cheering up. The stools placed at the counters looked well worn yet inviting, and they were where you found yourself being dragged by sticky fingers grasping your hand. Your brother insistently pulled you over to the stone counter and handed you a croissant filled with chocolate and powdered sugar. He looked at you expectantly as you took a bite. It was the best thing you had ever eaten. The powdered sugar mixed with the buttery pastry and the chocolate was sweet yet also bitter. The only other thing you had eaten that was close to this was a piece of cake you had stolen one night when your parents had gotten drunk. It was the only way you had eaten some days, and though it wasn’t much you were afraid to grab anything else and make too much noise. Usually if you didn’t take a lot and were quiet you didn’t get caught.

You sat at the counter and finished off your croissant while your brother had what you were sure wasn’t his first, or even second, one of the night. While you two sat you told him that you would be leaving in the morning to go back aboveground. “We won’t be going back home, right?” he asked timidly. You hurriedly told him that you weren’t, and that he would never have to go there again. “ That’s good, I think. I didn’t like it there. Here I can run around and no one yells. Will Jareth be going too?” He looked hopeful.

“Yes, he’ll be coming too.” You didn’t add that it was absolutely absurd for him to go with you when he had a castle and servants here. Your crappy apartment and cheap food couldn’t hold a candle to what you had seen in your short time inside the castle. You wondered if it was better to take your brother aboveground when he had everything he could ever need here. What were you even doing taking him back? Could you provide anything better? You put off the thought and asked your brother where a room for you could be found. He excitedly told you that you could have the empty room next to his. You grabbed another croissant before you could be dragged off. It couldn’t hurt, and really, when was the last time you had had anything sweet? Fuck it. They were really good anyway.

You followed your brother through a long corridor and up more flights of steps. The stairs were arguably more physically taxing than anything in the labyrinth had been. Even the fiereys had been easy to outrun. They enjoyed throwing their heads at you. That had been something else.

On your way to your rooms you met up with Jareth who accompanied you the rest of the way. The door to your room matched the rest of the wood in the castle, but when you opened the door you gasped. Inside was a four poster bed with a blue duvet and a chaise lounge against the wall. A wooden armoir stood in the corner next to a vanity with a matching bowl and pitcher for washing your face. A fireplace stood empty with a small pile of wood and a metal grate, and another door that led to what you guessed was a bathroom.

“I hope you find the room to your liking. It is a little last minute, but it should have anything you require.” Jareth spoke from behind you. “Should you need anything, I’m sure one of the goblins will come if called.” He shrugged like the room wasn’t the most amazing one you had ever seen.

“It’s amazing!” You exclaimed.

“Well then, I shall leave you to it.” He ushered your brother from the room and left you alone. You thought you should go and at least say goodnight, but you didn’t want to hover and truth be told you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do after not seeing someone for a long time. There would be enough time to say goodnight when you were back home. You idly considered what you would do once you got home. You would have to go shopping if you were going to be feeding two more people. What did a goblin king eat anyway? You knew he wasn’t human, but he seemed to eat like one. Did he have different dietary needs than a human? You were too tired to think. Lazily you walked over to the armoir and were delighted to find it full of nightgowns that all appeared to be in your size. Maybe that was magical too. _It’s bloody Narnia in here…_ You grabbed the closest one and walked into the bathroom, pleased that it had a bath and multiple bottles of soaps and oils. You were wondering how to fill it when it magically started filling up as if on command. “Right. Glad I didn’t have to figure that out.” You mused. Taking off your clothes you sunk into the warm water. You were hesitant to touch any of the bottles, but you desperately needed a wash and logically you knew you were allowed to use them, yet you still tried to use as little as possible. _Old habits die hard._ Letting the water envelope you, you rested your head back and closed your eyes for a few moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure about this chapter, but then again I never am. This is going up largely unedited so I may edit it later. Nothing major, but maybe some formatting or whatever. Hope you like it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised an update within the next few weeks, and look at that! I actually met a deadline for the first time in my life ( Not really, but ya know...) As usual, this is going up unedited at a ridiculously late hour. Hope you enjoy, and any criticism or compliments are highly coveted by the dragon that lives in my attic.

The loud crash of metal hitting the stone floor threw you from sleep. You jolted upright in the bed, you eyes scanning the room wildly until you saw a goblin surrounded by the remains of what looked like eggs and smashed glass. Your heart was pounding and you stared openly at the goblin who was looking more embarrassed by the second.

“Sorry to have disturbed you m’lady,” It bowed, nose almost to the ground. “Clumsy me always drops the tray, don’t know why someone else don’t do it. I’ll have a new one made up.” You tried to calm your racing heart and stop staring like it had come to kill you. _It was just an accident, no one is going to attack you here._ At least, you hoped not. No one had so far. “That’s alright,” _shit happens_ , you added mentally. “There’s no need for all the formalities by the way. It’s not like I’m someone important.” You laughed.

“Oh no miss, masters orders. You’s to be treated like them court fey he has about sometimes, to talk about business and all that. Can’t disobey orders.” It straightened up and finished cleaning up the spilled tray, then quickly exited the room, shutting the door behind it.

“No, I suppose you can’t.” you whispered to yourself. It was beyond you why Jareth would want you treated like someone important. Maybe it was more mockery, but it didn’t seem like it, and it was sure a lot of effort just for spite. _Whatever_ , you brushed it off. There would be time for questions later. You threw back the covers and regretfully put your feet on the cold floor. What you wouldn’t give for a few more minutes of sleep, but you had to find Jareth and figure out what was going to happen next. You picked up your clothes from where you had abandoned them on the floor last night and tugged them on, shivering in the drafty room. The armoire had a few dresses and such that you could wear, but you didn’t feel like wearing a strangers clothing. Plus, dresses weren’t really your thing unless you felt like it.

       You weren’t sure whether you should wait for the new tray and then get directions to find Jareth, or just try to find your way around and hope you didn’t get lost. The idea of wandering didn’t seem overly pleasant, especially since you weren’t sure what kind of things you could meet in this place. Your brothers room was just next door though, and he seemed to have a good knowledge of where everything was. Deciding to wait, you wandered over to the vanity which held a bowl and a pitcher full of water. Delighted, you washed your face and tried desperately to manhandle your hair into something slightly less tangled, but soon gave up. Looking into the mirror you sighed. You looked just as tired and worn out as you always did. _At least some things never change._ You paced around the room, idle. _This is taking too long and it’s cold in here._ Deciding that you looked fine enough and that the second tray was taking too long, you walked out the door and down the hall to your brothers room.

You pushed open the door and looked around his room. _Empty._ He must have been off wherever Jareth was. The kitchens, maybe? It seemed like as good a start as any, and you were pretty sure you remembered how to get there. You could always ask for someone to show you where they were or might be at this hour. Still in the doorway of your brothers room, you looked around it again just to see what it was like.

The room was similar to yours, large with a bed in the middle, Just twin sized instead of a queen, and it was quite warm unlike yours. A couple of drawings you assume he did himself were tacked up on the wall. Most of them were scribbles, but one had a vaguely humanoid face and your name written in large, messy printing. You looked at it with a watery smile as you fought to hold back tears. So he had remembered you, or at least enough to draw your face. It looked like a happy picture too, no crying faces or sad words. You wondered when he had learned to write, and where he learned how to spell your name. Maybe Jareth had helped. It seemed likely, but the thought made you laugh out loud. Who would think someone who stole children would be good at taking care of them too. He had though, and you couldn’t ever repay that.

You turned from the room and made your way down the hallway that you thought led to the kitchens. It didn’t take long before you could hear the distant clanging of pots and running water. The smell of fresh bread permeated the air and made your stomach growl. You hoped there would be food somewhere you could have. You continued on your way until you reached the open doorway. Inside Jareth was seated at the counter with your brother who was laughing as he ate. It was heartwarming to see him happy, and were those… pancakes? You walked into the kitchen further and saw the counter heaped with pancakes, berries of every kind imaginable and bowls of whipped cream. A glass decanter filled with an amber liquid stood at full attention. Jareth saw you standing in the doorway and welcomed you with a warm smile, “Please, join us.” He gestured to the bountiful amount of food. “I’m sure there’s more than enough, though your brother might have taken all the whipped cream by now.” He laughed.

You joined in the mirth and took a seat beside your brother, quickly filling your plate with pancakes and topping it with your favorite berries and fruit. Your brother almost dropped the decanter trying to hand it to you, spilling what you assumed was syrup all over the floor. Jareth told you not to bother, as the goblins would clean it up eventually. You felt bad about the mess, but seeing as he wasn’t worried, you just let yourself be pulled into the conversation with your brother, and tried not to think about how much you enjoyed being here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Entirely unedited, but it's something ( go me!)! I know, it's been far too long. I might edit a little sometime later, we'll see.

Feeling comfortably full, you leaned back in your chair and let the sugar course through your veins. It was by far the best thing you had ever eaten, and you didn’t even have to cook it, which was a major bonus. You looked at Jareth, wondering where you were going to go from there. Would you go directly to the aboveground, or would he need to pack first? You assumed your brother would have at least something to bring, his drawings at the very least. You obviously had nothing with you, other than what you were wearing. Jareth would need clothing, and possibly other personal items. You had no idea what a fae needed. He looked back at you, wondering why exactly you were staring at him. Well, this was awkward. How long had you been staring at him while you were thinking? You looked back at the table face flaming. Coward, you though to yourself. You looked back at him and tried again. “So how’s this gonna go? Do you need to pack or anything? I imagine pipsqueak over here hasn’t done anything yet.” You brother let out an indignant “m’not a pifsqeak!” his mouth full of pancake.  
“Oh yes you are!” You and Jareth both laughed at his expression of mock fury before he gave up and laughed along with you.  
“To answer your question, no, he hasn’t packed a single thing.” The creases by his eyes crinkled. “He hasn’t got much, a few bits of clothing he’s acquired while being here, and I can always pop back and grab anything if I need to. We can go as soon as you’d prefer, maybe once someone has finished every pancake in the kingdom.” A muffled “hey!” could be heard from behind you as you both laughed once again. It was strange, how natural making noise felt. Part of you wanted to shut your mouth and excuse yourself as fast as possible before he decided you were making too much of it. You gradually stopped laughing and waited for the inevitable yelling.  
The uneasiness was not unnoticed by Jareth. You looked around the kitchen, trying to find an excuse for your awkwardness. “Right, well, um, I guess I’ll go pack for him since he’s not going to do it.” You forced out a hasty laugh to lighten the suddenly awkward mood. Goddamn it, now you’ve done it. Everyone was having a good time and you just ruined it with your stupid anxiety. You couldn’t even laugh right. Look at how he’s looking at you! You didn’t even try to make it sound real. You mentally berated yourself until Jareth nodded at you, which you took as a dismissal and took your leave. You hurried out of the kitchens, cheeks burning yet again, and headed towards your brothers room. Stupid, stupid…  
Upon reaching your brothers room, you were about ready to cry. Why did you have to ruin anything even slightly lighthearted? You tried so hard but you were just too weird to relate to people and function like a person normally should. Whatever. You just wouldn’t think about it. What’s done is done, and there’s nothing left for you to do about it except move on. You squared your shoulders and started picking up the clothing strewn about your brother’s room. You hummed to yourself as you worked, getting lost in your thought, like what the hell you could cook in a tiny apartment that would be fit for both a king and a child for dinner, or lunch. What did fae even eat? You sure as fuck didn’t know. Pancakes, apparently. You laughed to yourself. Still, you didn’t imagine that was the only thing he ate. Sweet stuff? How accurate were the typical fairy tales? There was meat and such at the dinner the night before, but you weren’t entirely sure what that had been either.  
Jareth loitered outside of your brothers door, trying to figure out how to let you know he was there without scaring the life out of you, though it didn’t seem like there was any good way to do it.  
“Hey” he walked into the room. He watched you turn around, and was surprised for someone who seemed so jumpy you seemed like you were expecting him. “I was wondering when you were going to say something. I heard you walking up the hallway.I don’t expect there’s a need to creep around your own castle like an intruder.” Well. He felt his cheeks heat up slightly at being caught watching you. That would explain why you weren’t surprised though.. He didn’t think he had been walking that loud, but maybe it was just something you had picked up doing somewhere, but why, he had no idea.  
“Well,” you continued, “ I’ve gathered up everything of his that I could find, so I guess we leave now? That, is, if you’re ready.”  
“If you are ready, then I guess we shall. You must be excited to get back home.” You shrugged. You needed to get back and feed the cat, he was probably shredding the curtains by now. Whatever. They were cheap anyway. That’s what you got for stealing one of the strays off the street and taking them to the vet. A petulant, destructive mess of an animal. Still, you loved him. It took a few days of putting out food for him before he trusted you, and a few more weeks before you could shut the door with the cat in your apartment, but you had gotten there. You weren’t sure what possessed the daft thing to climb the fire escape in the first place, actually. After the first couple of times you bought some cheap cans of food to keep around for whenever he came back. Needless to say, you got attached rather fast. The vet bill had absolutely not been something you could afford, but it was lonely and winter had been coming up, you felt bad just leaving him to freeze to death. You couldn’t really afford cat litter or food either, but you made it work.  
You followed him down another series of hallways and out to the throne room, which seemed to be mostly used as a type of living room, albeit more fancy. Simply a place to receive guests or as a place to keep them from snooping into the rest of your life. Jareth leaned down next to one of the wandering goblins and told him to fetch your brother from wherever he had got off to.  
“So, how do we actually get aboveground again? Is there a door or something somewhere? Or are we taking the magical route?” it was mostly to fill the awkward silence, but you a bit curious. Could he come and go at will, or did it take a lot of energy or… something?  
“You certainly ask a lot of questions.” he chuckled softly.  
‘ considering I’ve been dropped into a book I read as a child full of things that don’t exist and a strange man who’s not even remotely human, I think I’ve been asking a lot less questions than I should be.” you crossed your arms.  
“Of course, I meant nothing by it. It’s rather endearing. You’ve taken everything quite well, and a far cry better than what most have or would expect from you.” He honestly hadn’t meant to offend, you just didn’t originally seem to be the question type. He was secretly very pleased that you took an interest in what he considered to be his everyday life. Maybe there were things aboveground that he could show you, if you wanted. It had been so long since he got to show off for an honestly intelligent and interested audience. Your brother had enjoyed a few of his tricks like making toys move or fly, but he could do so much more that just hadn’t interested the child. Not that he was to blame, Jareth knew children would be children, but that didn’t make it any less lonely.  
“To answer your question, there are several ways out of the labyrinth, both magical and fairly mundane, or as mundane as it gets down here. The mundane ways are all a fair ways away. It would be a long walk and I can’t say where half of them would end up as they change on a whim I do not know. The best way would be to go directly to the aboveground and I could take you and your brother straight to approximately where you live. Either way, I hope you know your way back.” Well then. Of course all the non-magical ways were the hardest.  
“So if you can only go to approximately where I live, how did you find me at my parent’s place? It took you mere seconds to get there and there were no directions.”  
“ Are you just assuming there are no directions?” he was being playful again, eyes crinkling and a half smile pulling up one side of his face.  
“Are there any?” it hadn’t occurred to you that there might be some sort of mystical GPS.  
“No, there aren’t,” he laughed, more to himself than at you “though that would be helpful. The only time magic is specific is when there is a wisher. Their call finds me a pulls me directly to that spot, and then I take the child and I am transported back.” he explained. “I could not find your old house even if I wanted to. If I knew what it looked like, there is a possibility that I could find my way back, but I don’t have enough information to even approximate.”  
“Huh,” you said. “ cool. That would be useful. Make it a lot easier to get into work I’ll bet.” He looked at you like you were crazy.  
“What? Don’t give me that look. Do you know has expensive owning a car is? I would love to be able to just teleport to around where places are, and imagine travelling! Is a photograph of a place enough info to get there? That would be amazing! I would go to so many other countries!” The endless amount of things you would do with a gift like that were endless.  
“I didn’t think you would be so interested. There aren’t many places in the underground that are worth going, and a lot more that are simply too unsavory to be considered. Maybe once we are aboveground I could take you somewhere?” The way he talked, it sounded like he was already planning to be in this for the long run. He chided himself for being foolish once again. You surely wanted the least to do with him as possible, and you surely didn’t see yourselves as ever being friends enough to go somewhere. He was getting too close too fast. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he loved you, or even liked you, but he was going out of his way to be just generally extra for you, be it breakfast or the room you got to sleep in, and it puzzled him. You had met under the least flattering circumstances for both of you, and then you had run his labyrinth a year late which you shouldn’t have been able to do except he allowed it, and now he was imposing himself on your life based on a rule he had no proof for. Logically, he thought you two should hate each other, but he certainly did not detest you. He was interested, or that’s what he told himself. 

Before you could tell him that you would very much like to go somewhere, the goblin entered back into to the room with your brother in tow. “I found ‘im, yer majesty! He was up sayin’ goodbye to the young’ins that ‘es been friends wit’.” the goblin bowed while your brother wandered up to you and his bag of things. “You got everything, right y/n?” he asked you.  
“Of course I did. I checked everywhere, even under the floorboards!” he laughed delightedly at your joke, and then turned decidedly serious.  
“What’s up?”  
“They aren’t floorboards, Jareth has stone floors.” Laughter bubbled up from your chest and you had to fight it down. He had you concerned for a minute, how you had forgotten what having a kid around was like.  
“No, I suppose you’re right. I checked under the floor stones then. Every last stone has been checked, I assure you.”  
“...good.” Finding no flaw in what you told him, he nodded his head resolutely and sat on his bag. Both you and Jareth had to look at each other before rolling your eyes and laughing. “ is he always like this now?”  
Jareth was still laughing. “Yes, he most always is. He’s quite the character, you know.” You were starting to believe it.  
“Stop talking about me! I can hear you guys!” The pout on his face only made the two of you laugh harder. Whatever he and Jareth had been doing for the last year, it had done something wonderful for your brother.  
“So,” Jareth began.” Who’s ready for a trip upstairs?” your brother cheered and you couldn’t help but feel a little excited for the days ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short again, but I had a little bit of time and energy. I think with this fic it won't be so much a direction driven story with and particular plot, just fun fluffy stuff. It will still be a complete story that reads like one, but you could also take some of the later chapters and just read them like a one-shot type thing? Because I want to make it past getting out of the underground and get "your brother" into school eventually and of course our lovely reader is gonna fall in love etc, etc, but I'm also falling in love with the idea of just random chapters for different holidays or events or just cute things about living together, ya know? Do y'all want an "actual" plot? Because I can make one if that is what's wanted.


	6. Chapter 6

“Now y/n, you’re going to have to get us there.” Jareth started. 

“And how exactly do I do that?” you asked. “I got here because you made the entrance appear in front of me, I have no idea how to get out!” Great. Absolutely fantastic.

“You don’t have to know how to get out,” he said. “You just have to know where we want to go. Envision in your mind your house, or if that is too much to focus on you can think of your street or a monument that is near.” 

“So all I have to do is think?” You asked. It seemed a little far-fetched, even for Jareth. 

‘“Yes. Once you have a location I will do the rest.”

“Well okay then.” You closed your eyes, thinking about the main lobby in your apartment building. You were about to tell him you were ready, but quickly realized that simply appearing in the lobby out of thin air might not go over so well with management. Choosing the little alley beside it instead you told him you were ready. 

The trip was short, only requiring you hold onto Jareth’s arm and close your eyes as he did his thing, whatever that has. Magic obviously. The transition from the Underground to back up took mere seconds, but remembering how to breath without puking took a bit longer. It felt like the most intense roller coaster drop on earth, multiplied by a million. That was the only thing you could compare it to, though you had only ever been on a roller coaster once on a school field trip to the local theme park. 

“You can let go of my arm you know.” Jareth teased. 

“Oh, right.” You dropped your hands, heat engulfing your face as you looked at the ground. “Sorry.”

“It’s no matter, many people find it hard the first time, you deserve credit for not throwing up.” He smiled.

“Do people usually throw up?” you asked.

“ I would have no idea. I’ve only ever taken you back aboveground before, and your brother of course. I just let the failed wishers find their way back.” You weren’t sure that many of the wishers actually came back, especially without the somewhat safer confines of the labyrinth. It has a wildly bizarre concept that the labyrinth should be the safest place, but now you could see that Jareth’s aim has to dissuade and stall, but never so far as to actually kill, even if it was just to keep things clean. You had an inkling that some of the…  _ things  _ in the underground had no such inhibitions. 

“I might still puke,” you confessed. “I haven’t decided yet.” He smirked at your attempt at humor. 

“Well, when you decide, mind the boots. I got them cleaned not long ago.” Of course. 

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.” you rolled your eyes. You were starting to feel better, and the alley wasn’t spinning half so much. You looked down at your brother who seemed completely unbothered by the whole affair. Leave it to him to get off easy without so much as a little bit of nausea. 

“y/n, we don’t live here, do we? It’s cold out here and I don’t like it very much.” Your brother pouted at you like he thought you were crazy enough to live in an alley. “I think I like the castle better even if it had spiders.”

Jareth looked insulted. “I did not have spiders! I take very seriously the cleanliness of my abode. I can’t say the same for the goblins though…” 

“Yes you did,” your brother argued. “There was one in my room. His name was freddie. He was a good spider.”  

Laughing, you diverted the argument before it could escalate. “Alright. No, we don’t live in this alley. We live in the building next to it.” Jareth looked like he was about to say something so you quickly interrupted.  “And I’m sure Jareth mostly didn’t have spiders, maybe a few slipped in somehow. What if Freddie was a girl spider? What would you have called her then?” You directed the attention back to your brother. 

“Freddie is a good name for a spider I think.” 

“Fair enough.” you conceded. “Well, let’s go home.” the words felt foreign in your mouth and you felt... weird. Different. The enormity of what you had undertaken was starting to hit you and the relief and exhaustion all bubbled together in a giddy feeling of absolute happiness. Here was starting the rest of your life. Fresh, new. You got a do-over and you weren't going to waste it, you were going to do whatever it took to make this work for all of you. Turning out of the alley you led Jareth and your brother into the lobby of your apartment building. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is ultra short, but I'm right in the middle of exam week (RIP me). The good news is that I will have all summer free to write!!! Hope you enjoy, and there are longer chapters coming.


	7. Home sweet home

It had been amusing to explain the mechanics of an elevator to Jareth. You had told him that it was sort of like a rope and pulley system that he had, but you had hit a wall in explaining that it ran off of insanely small particles that were charged with magnets running around inside metal wires. You had then gotten into a mini chemistry lesson on what electrons and atoms were, and how atoms made up everything on the earth and then some. The idea was completely foreign to him, and you promised you could go to the library sometime to find a couple books on physics and chemistry, or you could teach him how to use a computer. Maybe the books first though, Teaching someone who basically lived in the middle ages to use a computer seemed a bit daunting to you, but then, so was the science. It had at first surprised you that he didn’t know about the basic things they taught in high school, but you supposed he hadn’t really needed them, and the goblins certainly weren’t making scientific discoveries, but maybe others in the underground were.Things did extend past the labyrinth after all. 

     You had expected the technology issues, but he seemed so intelligent that you never considered the extent that science in the underground went. Maybe it was as advanced as aboveground, but for different things. Obviously the knowledge on how magic worked and the like would be better underground, but you wondered what else. Maybe you seemed daft to him for having lesser knowledge of magic in your society. 

“So you’ve been stealing children for this long, and you never wondered what the light was made out of? Or how they worked? Or how anything else worked?” you asked. “Come on man, we have moving pictures in boxes and ways to talk to people halfway across the world! It takes a lot of money long-distance, but you can do it.”

“ I don’t steal children,” he said, slightly miffed. “They’re given away. Also, when you’re doing the job you don’t think much outside getting the child and giving the runner a chance to run. I don’t exactly sit with them to learn about their world.” That seemed reasonable to you. It seemed a little strange that he wouldn’t have noticed or asked about the different things he must have seen in his lifetime, but it could be plausible. A lot of it could probably be explained with magic too. His crystals seemed to work a little bit like a television, or maybe video calling was closer. 

“I guess that’s fair, but still. You seem like the questioning type.” 

“I am usually,” he agreed. “But what good is the curiousity if I cannot sate it? Unless I am with a runner I cannot go above. Your technology in not accessible when one is bound to the underground.” 

 “So that’s why you’re here then. You want to learn more about our world. We’re just a vessel for you?” It made sense, he wasn’t with you on the most agreeable terms anyway, what difference did it make that he had ulterior motives? You were supposed to hate him, and you did. Mostly. It still made you feel...off? You couldn’t describe the feeling, but it wasn’t nice. 

     Whatever. You brushed it off as nothing more than a dislike of feeling used. 

“Of course not. I am simply… as I stated before I have to be with the child in order for you to return here. I can assure you, this is entirely for the benefit of you and your brother.” What he didn’t add was the reason he chose to be above, with both of you. Why he had lied and said that he needed to go with your brother. He wasn’t so sure himself. 

“Fine.” you really weren’t in the mood to argue, and you were at your apartment door anyway. You fished out your keys and unlocked the door, laughing as your brother pushed past you to be the first one inside. 

 “Welcome home.” You smiled as you held the door open, but gasped when you took a look into your apartment. The sunlight streamed in through your windows and illuminated the pile of ripped up curtains on the floor. “I’m going to kill that fucking cat!” You swore as you stormed into the room, Jareth laughing behind you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update!! Whoo!  
> Have no fear the cat is not dying anytime soon, although the curtains may have to go. If you have any ideas or comments, I would love to hear fro you all!


	8. Chapter 8

  You stomped into your bedroom, where your cat had been taking a nap in your sock drawer until he had heard your voice out in the entryway. He leaped down and started rubbing against your legs, purring like a lawn mower.

“ You really are an asshole, you know that?” You asked him. The cat, being a normal cat, did not reply except to look at you like he wanted to be up. You sighed, picking him up and scratching behind his ear. “I missed you, dude. Don’t suppose you missed me much though, seeing as to you I wasn’t gone more than ten minutes.” That was another thing that was going to mess you up. You had been running for the last eighteen hours, yet nothing here had changed except the cat deciding he was an interior decorator. It felt like as if the world should be irreparably changed in some way, to mark that what you had seen and done was real, to see some physical manifestation of the irreparable change done to you, but there was nothing of the sort. Except the curtains. Those were pretty irreparable. Hell, you still had work tomorrow. Another endless shift bagging groceries, and then on to the job you actually semi-enjoyed- stocking shelves at a bookstore downtown. 

It was a generally quiet job, and you didn’t have to spend a whole lot of time dealing with customers unless they were trying to find a book or needed a recommendation, which you were more than happy to help with. The store always had something new and sometimes you got discounted or free books if they were damaged or extras got ordered. This  is how you had found a lot of your favorites, along with a card for the local library. Something about being able to escape into other stories and lives and adventures appealed greatly to you. You thought is was a bit of a cliche to use books as an escape from life, but nevertheless it worked for you.

  It was a good job, but objectively the best part about the particular store though, was the small coffee shop attached to it in the front corner by the young adult novels. The smell of fresh ground coffee and chocolate greeted you at the door and sometimes you liked to just sit with a book and drink and watch the people that came and went. Teenagers giddy in love, old couples who were no longer giddy but were as just as in love as when they first met, mothers with children who made you laugh with their antics, college students who ordered twelve shot espressos and looked like they hadn’t slept in a month. It was a place you hoped the right person would take you on a date to someday, when you didn't actually work there anymore. You could trade your favorite books and watch as the streetlamps illuminated the snow softly falling outside. There was something deeply romantic about snow to you, and thus it was always winter in your fantasy. Even though the holidays had been mostly lonely and cold, you hoped one day you could find someone who could help you make them good. Help you string up lights in every room of the apartment and bake cookies in the evenings. 

You pet the cat one last time before putting him back on the bed and turning to walk out the door, startled by Jareth leaning in your doorway. 

“The cat is very much dead, I see,” he said. “Positively barbaric the way you went about ending him.” 

You laughed “ Oh, shut up. Can’t you see how much he’s suffering? Having to tolerate love and affection, imagine that!” 

Jareth stared at you with an expression you couldn’t quite place. “ Yes, imagine that indeed…” He seemed like he was musing aloud to himself more than to you. His staring was starting to make you a little uncomfortable, mostly because you had no idea what he meant. It looked almost a little wistful, but it couldn’t have been as it was directed towards you. There was nothing more to his feelings for you other than his responsibility in keeping your brother under his care. Maybe there was someone back in the underground waiting for him to return. 

  “Is there something wrong?” He looked away from you before looking back at you again, expression back to his normal arrogance. 

“ Of course not.” He straightened from the doorframe. “I was merely going over the things I have to get done tomorrow. The palace will not run itself, no matter how much I wish it could. Nothing too pressing needs done at the moment, though I will have to travel back for a short while to do a few small errands.” He shrugged a little. 

 “...Of course.” you agreed. He was suddenly acting really weird. You secretly hoped it wasn't because he hated your apartment. It was no castle, but for working two minimum wage jobs you could certainly do a lot worse.  

       He turned around and walked back out to where your brother had already unpacked his bag and was sticking his drawings to the fridge with a few magnets he had found. It was a good thing he was settling in so quickly, it was a big change very quickly. Your brother seemed unaffected, but Jareth had you a little worried.What was the staring about? And the shrugging. Jareth didn’t shrug, he was a king.  You wouldn’t have even guessed anything was wrong except for the slight tint of pink at the tops of his ears. Maybe it was all to do with what he had to do later. That didn't really make a whole lot of sense either, but it was the only thing you could guess. It was none of your business anyway, you figured.  _ Might as well leave him to do whatever it is he’s doing.  _ You shook your head and leaned where he had been moments before, watching him remove his jacket and help your brother with hanging his art. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't slept in days so enjoy!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fresh, unedited 1340-ish words for your enjoyment. Mostly conversation interspersed with talk of food and roombas. A good time had by all.

          “I’m sorry, there’s really not much in the fridge at the moment. I had planned to go shopping later in the week after payday. We can just go out if you all want?” You posed the question to both your brother and Jareth, but mostly to Jareth. You didn’t have a whole lot of money, but you had some slim life savings that should be able to cover dinner at a semi-okay restaurant.  _ This is terribly impressive. First you bring them back to an apartment building and then you have no food. He might as well just take your brother back because you are apparently completely incapable.  _ You mentally berated yourself for not even having the basic necessities in your house. You stormed into the labyrinth only to bring your brother and a  _ king  _ to your house that didn't even have food and only had power when you could pay the bill. How could you think this was any better? Obviously your brother had had a good life without you, and you had taken him back from that like the selfish person you were. 

        Jareth noticed your eyebrows pulling lower over your eyes and the way your nails were pressing into your palms. He had watched you do this in the labyrinth too, whenever he threw a particularly nasty trap at you. He couldn't figure out what the problem was, however. Going out sounded lovely, and a chance to find out about you even more so. 

      “Of course, if that is what you wish to do. It would be absurd of you to stand and cook after everything you've done already.” Jareth was intent on pleasing you, though again the reason why escaped you. You couldn't really complain if it made your life easier, but you weren't completely convinced that he wasn't up to something that was going to kick your ass later. 

     “Everything I've been through- that being your labyrinth?” you looked at him, eyebrows raised. It was his fault, really. 

      Jareth sputtered. “you know I have to protect my kingdom,”

     “from nefarious girls carrying nothing but a pocket knife?” you interjected. 

    “well, yes but when you're used to everything being able to conjure fireballs from their kneecaps-" 

    “You set your Steampunk Etsy Roomba on them in the corridors?” 

    “I don't know what any of those things are, but if you're referring to the cleaners I had nothing to do with it.” 

     “are you sure about that?” 

     “entirely. I would never use something so primitive. Where's the puzzle? The cleaners leave too much to chance. I don't find cleaning up blood off my walls to be an attractive past time.”

     “do you really have so little control over your kingdom as to let your subjects do what they want?” Also, what kind of freak uses the threat of death as something fun to do? What kind of person had you really left your brother with? Maybe letting him into your apartment had been a mistake.

      “unfortunately the denizens of the labyrinth have enjoyed a certain… freedom over the centuries. Our stories and myths became less popular over the millennia and as a result there were less outsiders coming to the realm. Being mostly simple creatures with a perchance for small mischiefs  means they are fairly self-governing. I mostly step in for squabbles over land and resource distribution, I hadn't expected them to pull something like that on you. Also, don't look at me like that. It is not as if I enjoy the traps I had to set. Understand that the labyrinth was built for those who had wished away others to what amounted to a demon in the stories. It was designed for those who would willingly wish away somebody to be tortured, not for cases such as yours, which is a completely unique one, I assure you. The only satisfaction I can derive is the justice for those who were unloved by their runners, and should you fault me for that I have no excuse.” 

        You.. had not expected that. You quickly had to make sure that your jaw was not hanging open at him in your shock. Is that how he saw himself? Not as a kidnapper of children but as a protector of the unwanted? You hadn't expected the passion that he spoke with. What must he think of you then, because not only did you wish away your brother to a demon, but you hadn't even bothered to come back for him. That wasn't how you had seen the stories though. Yes, you knew the children were eventually turned into goblins and yes, maybe that wasn't the best thing, but it was better than what you had had at the time. If you removed the idea that he ruthlessly stole children, he wasn't even exceptionally cruel. You had agreed to live with this man, fae, whatever, under the impression that you would hate him for imposing himself on your life, not to agree with him or feel pity for his lot in life. It must have been lonely. Living without company outside the goblins and runners who believed him to be Satan incarnate and who probably didn't deserve the chance to run anyway. Is that what he thought of you when you ran? That you had knowingly wished away your brother to a torturer. Why had he let you run after a full year when you hadn't even tried the first time? If that was what he thought of you then he should have had no reason to let you even come close to the labyrinth, let alone actually run it and come back home with your brother. 

       “so why did you let me run if that's how I was supposed to see you? By all means you should have thought I was just as bad as everyone else. I, just, Why would you-” You gestured vaguely with your hands in an effort to convey your confusion. 

     “Because you were most unlike the others. Most feel at least a little guilt, or they feel wrath at having to work to keep The babes they wish away, if only to save their reputation. There was neither on you, only relief. That made you interesting.” he looked nonchalant, as if he had not just told you that you were basically the worst person who ultimately didn't care at all for your brother, which stung worse that it should have.

      He realized the second that he said it that it had been insulting. “ it's not that you were callous about it, just that you seemed… relieved. Knowing more about your situation from your brother, this made sense. You reminded me of the only other runner to complete the labyrinth. While she had wished out of wrath, she continued with a genuine regret and concern. She was a fair bit younger than you with a lot of maturity to gain. This is the reason that she won, and I feel you are much the same in that you are genuine as well.” 

     Oh… well okay. That was far more than you expected. How well did this guy know you? It was like the second you thought something, he knew it too. It would be endearing if it wasn't annoying and if you actually trusted him. Which you didn't. At all. You wondered who this other girl was. Obviously smart enough to get through the labyrinth, a bit immature if the Goblin King was to be believed. Which he wasn't. At all. 

     “guys, I'm still here! Did you forget about me?” your brother had his hands on his hips again and was trying to stare you and Jareth down with the most serious face he could muster. 

     “I want to go get food now.” his fake sass was cute. It was amazing how much he had grown in a short year. Amazing what a change of atmosphere could do. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all liked the first chapter! I know it's kind of short, but I wrote this at 12am on my cellphone, soo... Feel free to tell me what you think, good or bad. I'll try to update without the 6 month intervals of my other fic, but life seems to enjoy screwing with me.


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